An endless roster of actively seeking singles (even ones with really niche preferences) are now accessible on your commute, and profiles are swamped with Uber ratings, food preferences and requests that we follow these complete strangers on Instagram (like we weren't going to stalk you anyway). With all this to consider, how are you expected to find time to pick the best dating apps to bless with your presence? How do you know what apps have the 'best' single people lurking on them?

Why it's awesome: hater is a hilarious concept that started out on Shark Tank (as a half joke, I might add) that might actually work. Rather than being paired up over shared interests or mutual physical attraction, the app simply matches you with people who hate the same things as you — because the bond over disliking something super specific is way stronger. In the words of Mashable's Cassie Murdoch, it "lets you drop that idealized, perky version of yourself you’ve been putting in all your profiles and lets you show off your inner crank instead."
Luxy is known as the #1 trusted millionaire dating site and app, but just because it’s made for affluent men and women, as well as their admirers, that doesn’t mean it can’t offer an affordable experience. Luxy doesn’t charge singles to create a profile, upload photos, search for matches based on their criteria, have match suggestions sent to their inbox, and communicate in certain ways (e.g., read and reply to messages). Also, if you refer a friend to the site, Luxy will give you both a $10 credit, which can be used to access premium features.
The Nuts and Bolts: It’s easy to use and has a simple interface, but you do have to pay to go back to a previous swipe, which is lame. This app is the pioneer of swiping, which in its own right gives it a five out of five. That being said, Tinder is overrated: There are the ads, the inability to swipe backward, and almost too many people on it now. Everyone uses it now, so the pool of potential partners isn’t the best, and the user experience is now a pay-to-play kind of experience.
Why? I pretty much only use Hinge now. I have tried almost all of them: Tinder at one point in college, Bumble, OKCupid, Coffee Meets Bagel .... I found that Tinder was mainly for hook-ups and while I liked that guys were less grimy on Bumble, I’m pretty shy so I didn’t like that I had to be the one to initiate conversation. (Editor's Note: Women seeking men must message first on Bumble; for women seeking women, that rule goes away.)
About the App: On BeNaughty, everyone is interested in finding sexual encounters with no strings attached. Within a couple of minutes, you can get a profile up for $0. Free membership includes unlimited photos, browsing, matches, winks, and chats. BeNaughty also has an advanced anti-fraud system to ensure your personal information stays private while you flirt online.
Clover is a little bit like Tinder and a little bit like OKCupid. You can login with your Facebook and then add more information about your appearance and reason for using the app. For example, you can choose from several “intentions” including “looking for dating” or “looking for people to chat with.” Clover uses your location to find you dates in the area, so like most location-based dating apps, it won’t work well if you live in a rural area with a small population. Once you’ve logged in you’re prompted to start a free 7-day trial or sign up for either 3 months or 1 year of service. With a paid membership you can see read receipts on your messages, share photos and videos and get access to advanced filters for your potential matches like income and ethnicity. You can also opt out and just use the free membership if you’d prefer.
Zoosk recommends showing your natural smile, citing a 2015 study that found people are drawn to a genuine show of pearly whites. That same study found people prefer a photo if the subject is tilting their head slightly, and if you're a woman seeking a man, make sure to incorporate the color red somewhere in your photo. If you really can't decide which photo to choose, don't be afraid to ask for a little outside help. A 2017 study found people tend to pick out less favorable photos of themselves when compared to letting others choose, so go ahead and ask your friends to help you!
Dating.com gave me the chance to adventure out and meet people that I may have never had a chance to know. Exchanging messages first and getting a chance to know someone before meeting them was very nice to me. Believe it or not, you can really get to know someone pretty intimately by doing this. I made some great friends and then eventually, I met my soul mate here when I had honestly given up on the idea of true love!

Why it's awesome: Hinge marries the modern, instantaneous feel of swiping apps with the relationship atmosphere that sites like eharmony or Match offer. Hinge literally labels itself the relationship app, or as I prefer, the "anti Tinder." You scroll like Instagram, creating a smoother (and less judge-y) feel than swiping. There's a common understanding that this app isn't just for sex, but there's no pressure to rush into a relationship either. It's chill, it's legit, and traditional swiping apps should be worried.

Signing up for a dating app is simple. With no e-mail confirmations involved, users are able to jump right into the action. Profiles are quick and easy to build, if they’re not just uploaded from your Facebook account. Setting up a dating app is so quick that you could, in theory, go from downloading the app to being face-to-face with a new match in less than 10 minutes -- if you really wanted to. On the flip side, most mainstream dating sites offer equally inclusive apps, so if you’re interested in the longer questionnaires that come along with algorithmic matchmaking, you’re in luck.

However, if you’re a woman and you really hate being the first person to initiate a conversation, then Bumble definitely isn’t for you. Profiles are also very short, consisting of a concise blurb and six photos or fewer. This can make it hard to gauge whether or not you’re interested, even at the most superficial level, in someone. Furthermore, because Bumble places the onus on the woman to initiate the conversation, we’ve found that it can attract a more passive crowd than other dating apps.
‘It’s always tempting to ‘accidentally’ check out a date’s social media accounts before meeting up. In fact, our research shows that over a third (38%) of us admit to a pre-date Google. Try to avoid it, if possible. In-depth social media stalking will make you form judgments before you’ve even sat down together so prioritise getting to know the real person, rather than their online persona.’
Bumble can be accessed from their website and can be found on Google Play for Android and the Apple App store for iOS. You have the option to create a Bumble account with your phone number or by connecting your Facebook account. If you use a phone number you will be required to verify it by inputting a code that will be sent to you via text. The benefit of using Facebook is that some information will be pulled and used in your Bumble account. You can control what information is used and Bumble says they will never post to your Facebook profile. Also remember when you sign up for Bumble, you will be getting account not only on Bumble Date, but Biz and BFF as well. As mentioned above, for this review we will mainly be concentrating on the dating aspect of Bumble.

As you become more familiar with online dating and the process, you will feel more at ease actually meeting the people you talk to. As an child of the world, it’s understandable that you want to meet as many singles as you can whenever you travel. When you do this, you have a better chance to appreciate the country, the culture, and even the experience in itself.

The Match iteration of flirting is sending someone a “wink,” and you can search through the Match database to find “winkable” people. The service will also provide you with personalized matches on a daily basis, which take your interests into consideration. To really make the most of Match, however, you’re going to need a subscription, which can get a little pricey — the cheapest option currently available will run you $21 a month for six months. A premium subscription does allow you to see who’s recently looked at your profile and who has liked your pictures, though, and includes a host of other features.

The app is free and there is no desktop version. You can purchase credits separately in the app or pay monthly for the premium version, which lacks any ads and lets you see who has liked you, among other features. It has 4.2 out of 5 stars in the Apple app store, and some user reviews note the app can be very confusing in busy urban areas, like New York City. We're guessing it's also not very effective in less populated rural areas, as it relies on a lot of people having the app on their phone. You can also play the app's built-in game CrushTime, which lets you guess who has liked you from four profiles you've recently crossed paths with.